Live: Journey in Noblesville

The 4th of July is all about having fun and relaxing with your friends and family. What better way to do that with good Classic Rock and that’s exactly what happened the day before when Journey and Def Leppard came to Noblesville’s Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center.

The night started early with Journey playing a blistering set with nothing but the hits. Normally, shows have a triple threat attack but this bill didn’t need a third act.

With 14 songs and three band member solos, the crowd was electric from the very start of the first note of “Separate Ways,” which opened the show- all the way to the end of the final note of closer “Don’t Stop Believin,’” and the band fed off of it with every ounce of energy they had.

Frontman Arnel Pineda is seen by many as the sole reviver of the band, putting them back onto an elite level since his entrance to the band 11 years ago. His stage presence is second to none, his vibrant performances are impossible not to love and the Noblesville show was no exception, with Pineda running and jumping all over the stage, getting the crowd involved every chance he got.

Guitarist Neal Schon proved yet again on this night why he’s one of the most underrated and impressive guitarists on the planet- not just in rock- and his solo, which led into “Wheel in the Sky”- was nothing short of hypnotizing.

Before closing the show, keyboardist/guitarist Jonathan Cain took some time to talk about the story behind “Faithfully,” which was met with a deafening response from the fans and you could tell the band was ecstatic to hear them as loud as they were, which didn’t let up at all.

This song was in the middle of a three-punch knockout, joined by “Wheel in the Sky” and “Don’t Stop Believin,” which saw the crowd singing so loud that the only way you knew the band was there was because they were onstage playing- you couldn’t hear them singing at all, which was one of the many “goosebumps moments” of the night.

Follow this up by yet another classic set from Def Leppard and July 3 was a night that almost everyone in attendance would remember forever.

-Reggie Edwards

Journey